Agreed - the "why isn't there enough testing?" question really reached a peak in the media coverage in the second week in March. Here we are a month later and there hasn't been any kind of massive ramp up .
Coronavirus Coronavirus: In-Iowa General Discussion (Not Limited)
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Agreed - the "why isn't there enough testing?" question really reached a peak in the media coverage in the second week in March. Here we are a month later and there hasn't been any kind of massive ramp up .
I’m sure it is. But it is so stupid because mass testing would get things opened up much faster.
There's a facility in Ames with labs designed specifically for this type of testing. The National Animal Disease Center has everything require to perform hundreds if not thousands of tests a day. It's currently shutdown because it's considered nonessential. A lab is a lab. The infrastructure exists to really ramp this up but it's not being utilized.
See that's one thing that I started thinking about. The delivery and carryout options for both groceries and food are great but all you are doing is introducing more people to touch your stuff.
https://idph.iowa.gov/emerging-health-issues/novel-coronavirus
This is where they were breaking down the daily numbers. If you scroll down that last link is for 4/13.
Iowa State labs are helping with testing :
5. ISU’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, in a collaboration with the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa, helped expand testing capacity to expedite COVID-19 test results. The collaboration significantly increased the hygienic lab’s ability to run more tests simultaneously. Also, the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab remains open, providing diagnostic services critical to the continuity of agricultural businesses, food safety and public health across Iowa and the Midwest.
I'd actually heard of that but it's curious that a federal facility located in the same city that can do the same thing at a higher rate isn't being utilized.
Thanks! Looking at the 21 deaths in Linn Co - that are reportedly all from long-term care facilities, I think my understanding of who is in care facilities isn't necessarily accurate. 11 of the 21 deaths (and 88% of total cases) are for people under 80. There's more people in their 60s and 70s in long-term care than I would have expected
A lab is a lab? I don't think that's how that works.
A real issue is the supply bottleneck of chemicals required to conduct testing.
https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/...eagents-needed-for-covid-19-swab-pcr-testing/
An article in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald today cited an official from United Clinical Labs saying they had testing kits and the necessary testing equipment, but not enough chemical reagents in supply to complete the tests, and are basically using what they can get just as soon as they get it in. The chemicals and enzymes are, like so many other things seeing supply chain problems these days, not easy to ramp up in production combined with the surge in demand over the last couple months.
I can tell you for sure that The national animal disease center is not shut down and I believe legally it’s not set up to test humans. Could it -sure. They’d likely run into the same issues as everyone else though in not having the supplies needed for the tests.
If you have more testing you can sort of get a handle on where there are hot spots. In Iowa and in the country, we have tested so few people that you just don't know.
this is bad.
Does anyone know if they’ve tested everyone in the Louisa county plant? Every single one needs to be tested.
Like others have said, NADC is not shutdown and is very much considered essential. Those with teleworking capabilities are doing so, but many of us are still performing our essential duties working on animal diseases. The Veterinary Diagnostic Lab is only a very small part of the entire center and is only set up for animal diagnostic testing. A lab is simply not a lab and even if it was there is still the same lack of PPE and diagnostic testing supplies that there is everywhere else.
Article this morning said all employees at Tyson plant and contacts of those infected to be tested . 900 tests she sent yesterday was to add to testing already completed , waiting on some of the previously performed tests. Tests sent are rapid turn around. I also saw some employees from that plant were moved to Waterloo plant which is causing a spike there.
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